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I feel a little better today. The head ache has gone. But the chest congestion is there. I still feel very weak though. I was having the chills last night but now its better. I am going to continue using mucinex and drink plenty of water. On a side note, I have a dinner outing with friends tomorrow. Should I skip it? I feel depressed because of my illness and I thought getting out of the house may help. It's a Thai place. May be I can order noodles and soup? I obviously don't want to pass my illness to my friends but at the same time I need some distraction!
Just remember to becareful with increasing fluid intake in the future. Here is a good resource:
Doctors commonly recommend that people with acute respiratory infections drink extra fluids. Acute infections include colds, acute sinusitis, tonsillitis, laryngitis, bronchitis, pneumonia and influenza. This review intended to find out the benefit or harm from this recommendation. Potential benefits of fluids are replacing fluid lost because of fever or rapid breathing, treating dehydration and reducing the viscosity of mucus. In infections of the lower part of the respiratory tract, possible harmful effects of fluids might be a dilution of the blood sodium concentration, leading to headache, confusion and seizures. This review found no evidence for or against the use of increased fluids in acute respiratory infections. No randomised controlled trials have been conducted to determine the benefit or harm from extra fluids. It is important that further studies be done in order to determine the true effect of this very common medical advice.
So remember when people tell you - or your doctor tells you to increase your fluid intake - they really have no study to prove that to be good practice. The safe bet would to increase fluid intake while ensuring adequate intake of electrolytes.
Doctors commonly recommend that people with acute respiratory infections drink extra fluids. Acute infections include colds, acute sinusitis, tonsillitis, laryngitis, bronchitis, pneumonia and influenza. This review intended to find out the benefit or harm from this recommendation. Potential benefits of fluids are replacing fluid lost because of fever or rapid breathing, treating dehydration and reducing the viscosity of mucus. In infections of the lower part of the respiratory tract, possible harmful effects of fluids might be a dilution of the blood sodium concentration, leading to headache, confusion and seizures. This review found no evidence for or against the use of increased fluids in acute respiratory infections. No randomised controlled trials have been conducted to determine the benefit or harm from extra fluids. It is important that further studies be done in order to determine the true effect of this very common medical advice.
So remember when people tell you - or your doctor tells you to increase your fluid intake - they really have no study to prove that to be good practice. The safe bet would to increase fluid intake while ensuring adequate intake of electrolytes.
You would have to drink a lot of fluid to lower the serum sodium enough to be dangerous. That is not what doctors intend when they tell you to increase fluid intake. It is highly unlikely that OP's headache was due to a low serum sodium. A low enough level to do that would probably send him to the ER, since the level would be low enough to cause brain edema.
Your quote also says, "This review found no evidence for or against the use of increased fluids in acute respiratory infections." and "No randomised controlled trials have been conducted to determine the benefit or harm from extra fluids. It is important that further studies be done in order to determine the true effect of this very common medical advice."
The article makes no mention of replacing electrolytes, and the treatment of a mildly low serum sodium is to restrict fluids, not give sodium.
The full article is behind a pay wall, so I cannot read the entire thing, but it sounds to me as if there was not enough information for them to conduct a valid review.
There is no harm in someone with a cold or the flu increasing intake of fluids, which can help make him feel better, and it does not have to be Gatorade.
This flu is not only nasty, but it's last stages goes into your lungs.
Even after it's over, there can be breathing issues. (I've never had
a problem like this) FYI it's H3N2 and it's pretty much blown through
where I am, in western Canada. There isn't much you can do but see it run its' course.
In my life I've never had a flu more than three days. This one is going
on three weeks and there are still fatigue and other affects.
This thing hit me about a week before Christmas, very hard and very fast. I started Tamiflu the next day - it didn't lessen my symptoms' severity but it did shorten the duration slightly.
Like you, I also took a variety of OTC drugs, which helped some, but not enough. I was seriously ill for about eight days, during which I lost eight pounds. I also developed a secondary respiratory infection, so was put on a Z-pack four days into the bout. The fever subsided fairly quickly, as did the aching, but the racking cough persisted, as did intense fatigue and a sort of brain fog. However, I was not infectious after about the sixth day, so was able to resume some usual activities, while resting in between as it took very little effort to exhaust me physically at this point.
I regained three of the pounds quickly once my appetite returned, but it was a full two weeks before I felt reasonably normal again and my energy level still was low at that stage and I looked very pale. It took an effort to put one foot in front of the other, and a short flight of stairs would wind me.
I feel fine now, one month later, but it has been a long time since I was so weakened by illness - over twenty-five years ago, when I had bronchitis, a cracked rib from coughing, and pleurisy for three weeks. This flu didn't last that long and wasn't that painful, but it did a similar job on my energy, and the timing was terrible. Be thankful that you have the flu after the holidays, rather than before and during (I did get to celebrate New Year's Eve, thankfully).
Rather than going out to dinner with friends quite yet, see if they can pick up a carry-out dinner for you, to avoid spreading the flu or relapsing through too-early activity.
This thing hit me about a week before Christmas, very hard and very fast. I started Tamiflu the next day - it didn't lessen my symptoms' severity but it did shorten the duration slightly.
Like you, I also took a variety of OTC drugs, which helped some, but not enough. I was seriously ill for about eight days, during which I lost eight pounds. I also developed a secondary respiratory infection, so was put on a Z-pack four days into the bout. The fever subsided fairly quickly, as did the aching, but the racking cough persisted, as did intense fatigue and a sort of brain fog. However, I was not infectious after about the sixth day, so was able to resume some usual activities, while resting in between as it took very little effort to exhaust me physically at this point.
I regained three of the pounds quickly once my appetite returned, but it was a full two weeks before I felt reasonably normal again and my energy level still was low at that stage and I looked very pale. It took an effort to put one foot in front of the other, and a short flight of stairs would wind me.
I feel fine now, one month later, but it has been a long time since I was so weakened by illness - over twenty-five years ago, when I had bronchitis, a cracked rib from coughing, and pleurisy for three weeks. This flu didn't last that long and wasn't that painful, but it did a similar job on my energy, and the timing was terrible. Be thankful that you have the flu after the holidays, rather than before and during (I did get to celebrate New Year's Eve, thtankfully).
Rather than going out to dinner with friends quite yet, see if they can pick up a carry-out dinner for you, to avoid spreading the flu or relapsing through too-early activity.
Hope you recover soon and completely.
Thank you. I am scared about losing weight. I am eating as usual but is the weight loss typical for a flu? I can't afford to lose pounds and I don't gain weight that easy.
Did you experience loss of taste? I feel like nothing tastes good. I a mostly doing soup, noodles, brown rice, and lentils.
Right now, I have a runny nose but I don't cough that much. I do have chest congestion. the runny nose is also creating some sort of pressure around my eyes and in the fore head. Not fun
I am used to exercising regularly and I don't have the energy to walk let alone hit the gym. I am taking it easy though. The flu has totally changed my normal life. Sorry about the vent.
Flu kicked me for about 2 weeks. It got in our house just before Christmas several years back.
Yes, loss of taste is part of it. Many don't eat well when they have the flu. It could still be a sinus infection or even bronchitis with either though.
Thank you. I am scared about losing weight. I am eating as usual but is the weight loss typical for a flu? I can't afford to lose pounds and I don't gain weight that easy.
Did you experience loss of taste? I feel like nothing tastes good. I a mostly doing soup, noodles, brown rice, and lentils.
Right now, I have a runny nose but I don't cough that much. I do have chest congestion. the runny nose is also creating some sort of pressure around my eyes and in the fore head. Not fun
I am used to exercising regularly and I don't have the energy to walk let alone hit the gym. I am taking it easy though. The flu has totally changed my normal life. Sorry about the vent.
Sorry you feel so rotten.
Forget the exercise right now, hard as that may be.
Remember that a fever burns calories. If you are able to eat, there should be little weight loss, if any. I do not think I've ever lost a pound due to a viral illness, so not everyone loses weight. Try eating small amounts more frequently rather than larger meals.
The facial pain does sound like a sinus problem. If it starts getting worse rather than better, you may have some bacterial overgrowth. That would mean a discussion with a doctor about whether an antibiotic would be indicated. The same would apply if the chest symptoms get worse rather than better.
Forget the exercise right now, hard as that may be.
Remember that a fever burns calories. If you are able to eat, there should be little weight loss, if any. I do not think I've ever lost a pound due to a viral illness, so not everyone loses weight. Try eating small amounts more frequently rather than larger meals.
The facial pain does sound like a sinus problem. If it starts getting worse rather than better, you may have some bacterial overgrowth. That would mean a discussion with a doctor about whether an antibiotic would be indicated. The same would apply if the chest symptoms get worse rather than better.
Thanks for your kind words. I was feeling better earlier today but now I feel worse. I also have watery eyes and it feels like my eyes are burning if I keep them open. And also the sudden pain in my arms that comes and goes. I am feeling so down. The worst part is.. I get bored easy. Staying home is killing me. Watching Netflix helps but my eyes won't co-operate. If I close my eyes and lay down, my brain starts wandering and I hate that. Good lord. This sucks!
If you feel worse, I think you should talk to a doctor. What you want to avoid is ending up in the hospital.
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Try eating small amounts more frequently rather than larger meals.
